An inquiry by a racing fan has prompted
me to review a nearly forgotten segment of myhandicapping portfolio - warmup assessment.
Some longtime race goers rely onwarmups as an indicator of performance
while others hold warmup assessment in muchlower regard.

Although I am in general agreement with
the latter group, I am willing to admit that somehandicappers are able to develop a certain
"knack" for clocking the warmups. Overall,warmup assessment must be viewed as a
double edged sword, benefiting some buthindering the prospects of others.

One of the biggest drawbacks of warmup
assessment is the definition of whatconstitutes a "good warmup". Even those
who rely on warmups for guidance havetrouble agreeing on a definitive procedure
for rating them. Although it is normallyfocused on speed, a favorable assessment
in always the product of a subjectiveprocess, so, a good warmup is in the eye
of the beholder.

A major problem arises from this. The problem
is that warmup assessment is difficult tolearn because there are as many different
ways to rate warmups as there are peoplerating them. Virtually the only way to
develop the ability to successfully utilize warmups isby a trial and error approach, finding
out what works for you. Although for some this willpay dividends, for most it will not. After
many years at the racetrack, I know of only a fewhandicappers who have been able to develop
the "knack" I described earlier, and all ofthem have varying approaches to rating
warmups.

In light of this information, it is easy
to understand why reliance on warmups forselections is a risky proposition. However,
some handicappers my be able to benefit byusing warmups as part of their overall
handicapping process. With this in mind, I canoffer the following recommendations for
rating the warmups.

1. Get to the track at least one hour before
first post. The final and most importantwarmup occurs about an hour before race
time, so if you intend to clock warmups, youmust be at the track early.

2. Get acquainted with the warmup colors
of the saddlecloths so you will be able toidentify each horse. There will be many
horses warming up at the same time, so properidentification can be difficult if you
are not careful.

3. Have a program and a pen ready to take
notes. It's hard to remember which horsesdeserved added consideration for an impressive
warmup, so mark your programaccordingly.

4. Get to know the warmup habits of as
many horses as possible. This means becomingfamiliar with horses that normally have
fast warmups and those that do not. Horses arecreatures of habit and many will go through
fast warmups then disappoint at race time,especially speed horses with a tendency
to weaken. Knowledge of these inclinations willhelp you separate the pretenders from
the contenders.

5. Put the most importance on the final
warmup about one hour before post time. This isthe time that any advantage from observation
will be gained.

6. Be wary of horses that blaze the final
warmup. Unless they are classy types that willbe racing extremely fast, horses can leave
their race on the track with an overly fastwarmup. This judgment between a sharp
warmup and one that is overly fast can onlycome with much experience.

7. Don't try to be a veterinarian. Too
many fans are quick to eliminate horses thatappear "gimpy" or "have a hitch in their
gait". A good number of horses will exhibitsymptoms of unsoundness at jogging or
warmup speed but will race just fine when theyleave the gate. Besides, there is a track
vet whose job it is to prevent unsound horsesfrom racing so it is best to leave that
determination to her.